Syracuse Basketball: 4-star wing target sees rankings surge, offers grow

According to numerous recruiting services that have updated their national ratings of late, Syracuse basketball 2023 four-star prospect Gavin Griffiths is the No. 1 player in the state of Connecticut.

The 6-foot-7 wing, described as a small forward by most recruiting Web sites, performed at an elite level on the grassroots basketball circuit this past summer, national analysts say.

As a result, Griffiths’ stock has soared on a national scale. He is deemed a top-50 prospect across the country in the 2023 cycle, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

Orange coaches got involved with Griffiths’ recruitment relatively early on, offering him a scholarship in October of 2020. More recently, Griffiths has witnessed his offer list expand at a solid pace, and I imagine many more suitors will arrive for him in the future.

Syracuse basketball faces stiff competition for four-star Gavin Griffiths.

According to recruiting services and Griffiths’ own Twitter page, some of his more recent offers have come in from teams such as Penn State, Providence, Connecticut, Kansas State and Xavier.

Other prior offers got delivered to Griffiths by squads including Iowa, Maryland, Dayton, Rutgers, Bryant, Fairfield, Hofstra, UMass and Siena.

A junior at the Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford, Conn., Griffiths runs on the AAU circuit with the Boston-based Expressions Elite Basketball.

In mid-October, he made an official visit to Iowa, according to Griffiths’ bio on the 247Sports Web site, and he’s also visited Connecticut.

As we’ve noted in past columns, Griffiths has said in interviews that he’d like to visit other campuses, like Rutgers, Syracuse and Maryland.

It would prove terrific if he traveled to the Hill. The ‘Cuse was the first high-major program to offer Griffiths, and I hope that will serve the Orange well in his recruiting process.

When Rivals.com refreshed its 2023 ratings, he made one of the biggest leaps nationwide in his class, going from No. 71 to No. 35. ESPN, during its own update of 2023 rankings, placed Griffiths at No. 52.

More recently, 247Sports unveiled a new set of 2023 ratings. Previously, Griffiths was unranked. Now, 247Sports has him at No. 61 overall.

At the time of this writing, the 247Sports Composite had Griffiths at No. 42 nationally, No. 8 at small forward and No. 1 in Connecticut. Should he shine in his junior year of prep-school ball, and I believe that he will, Griffiths could absolutely contend for five-star status.

Analysts and scouts say that Griffiths possesses strong height and length for the position that he plays, and he’s noted for his shooting prowess and scoring versatility.

Analysts, and Griffiths himself, have said that the 2023 prospect continues to refine his ball-handling, rebounding and defensive skills. I remain optimistic that Syracuse basketball will be a major contender in his recruitment.